Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to connector systems, and in particular to a low profile connector system that can be used with small form factor electronic devices.
Standard audio plug connectors (or “audio plugs”) include a cylindrical plug and are available in three sizes according to the diameter of the plug: a 6.35 mm (¼″) size, a 3.5 mm (⅛″) “miniature” size, and a 2.5 mm ( 3/32″) “subminiature” size. Generally speaking, these connectors have conductive regions along portions of the plug known as the tip, ring, and sleeve, and are thus often referred to as TRS (tip, ring, sleeve) connectors.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a standard audio plug connector 100 having a connector body 102 and a cylindrical plug 104. In this example, plug 104 includes three conductive regions: a conductive tip 106, a conductive ring 108, and a conductive sleeve 110. Other types of plug connectors can have more or fewer conductive regions. Conductive regions 106, 108, and 110 are electrically isolated by insulating rings 112 and 114. If standard audio plug connector 100 is a 3.5 mm miniature connector, the diameter of plug 104 (at its thickest section) will be 3.5 mm.
A standard audio plug receptacle (or “audio jack”) that is used to couple standard audio plug connector 100 to an electronic device has a circular opening through which plug 104 is inserted and an interior passage sized to receive the plug. Taking into account the thickness of the receptacle housing in which the opening is formed, as well as an appropriate amount of clearance for the plug to slide into the receptacle, a standard audio plug receptacle for a 3.5 mm audio plug connector generally has a thickness that is greater than 3.5 mm. As electronic devices (such as portable media players, cellular phones, portable computing devices, and the like) become smaller and thinner, the plug diameter of standard audio plug connectors (and the thickness of their corresponding receptacles) can be a limiting factor in reducing device thickness. While it is possible to develop an audio plug connector and receptacle that uses a smaller plug diameter than, for example, the standard 3.5 mm miniature size, such a connector system would not be backward compatible with the multitude of existing devices and accessories that are designed with the 3.5 mm size in mind.